Alternative Horsemanship™ with Samantha Harvey the Remote Horse Coach shares horse training and horseback rider coaching, philosophies, and approaches she has developed over three decades. Offering horsemanship clinics worldwide, distance horse coaching instruction, equine consultations, equine re-education and rehabilitation, colt starting, and lessons. Follow her #alternativehorsemanship on all social media platforms.
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Ongoing and Escalating Horse Problems
Are you creating unwanted horse behavior?
Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach shares insight into human interactions that can lead to unwanted equine behaviors.
Subscribe to the YouTube Channel for weekly videos in the Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series.
Horse Problems "Help, I bought the wrong Horse" Part 2
Horse Trainer advice and tips discussing horse owner decisions and choices after being misled by horse sellers and buying an unsuitable, inappropriate, or dangerous horse. Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series Horse Help- Part 2 Watch Horse Problems or Problem Horses Part 1 here • Horse Problems or... Subscribe to the Alternative Horsemanship Channel for weekly horse trainer tips every Friday.
Horses withe Human Problems- Dear Sam: Horse Help
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series
"Horses with people problems"
Learn what may be creating unwanted, excessive, dramatic, or dangerous behaviors and reactions from the equine.
Click the link in the comments section to watch on the Alternative Horsemanship YouTube Channel
Subscribe for free videos every Friday.
How to Choose a Horse Trainer
Alternative Horsemanship the Remote Horse Coach Quote
Often the human is distracted by the horse's unwanted behaviors- without acknowledging the root source(s) often stemming from the animal's mental and emotional state.
Without starting in a mentally clear, present, and available place, many horse enthusiasts unintentionally "dump" their
life's chaos and stress upon the horse, and it becomes their filter of how they perceive the equine's behavior.
So much lack, delay, and miscommunication occur if the human's emotional rollercoaster is delegating their interaction with the equine.
5 Signs Your Horse Needs a Trainer
Dear Sam: Horse Help *Changing Human Intention Improving Equine Partnership
Dear Sam: Horse Help *Preparing the Young Horse for Riding
Horseback Riding- Preparing for the Spring Season
Looking ahead to the upcoming riding season, whether you ride for pleasure or are a competitor, you can strive to offer a supportive partnership towards your horse. I will touch on two concepts that you can start considering, without even having to battle the outdoor winter conditions!
Dear Sam: Horse Help Horsemanship Series *Hindering Human Distractions
The BIG question: Is your trainer right for you and your horse?
I’m always amazed as I hear stories of the equestrian services people pay for and are berated, disrespected, belittled, and badgered by the "professional." And yet, if the student doesn’t know otherwise, they keep going back.
I believe that my student must be offered my respect for showing up and trying to improve themselves. They must also have trust that what I’m offering them will help them on their journey and the clarity to understand how it affects their “growth” in improving their horsemanship.
Most horseback riding lesson scenarios in today’s society have a delay in the timing or lack of quality in communication between instructor and student. Becaus the horse requires ongoing support, to help students learn how to improve their support, they need to learn how to be present every step of the ride.
Many students don’t realize the “process” it takes to create a working relationship with them. I never have a predetermined “we must accomplish this” agenda before we begin a session. Wherever the student is mentally and emotionally on that given day will influence how the lesson evolves.
My priority is to keep the human and horse safe, then to enjoy the experience. The more the student feels supported, the more they can learn. Too many times though even the word “lesson” has a negative association because of the one-way communication between instructor and horse. I can’t recall how many occasions I’ve sat on the fence watching lesson after lesson with the instructor literally repeating the same five sayings, (“head up, heals down, more, push him, good, etc.”) and always responding AFTER the student performed.
Another aspect I’m shocked at is how much the horse is IGNORED during the session. I know that sounds funny but when the instructor’s goals are predefined, "Everyone will work on x, y, and z today," there is a lack of consideration that their lesson agenda may not be appropriate for that horse at that moment in time.
I know there is pressure to accomplish a big feat each session. But what if the goal of the student was quality? Consider we spend a minimum of 12 years between elementary, middle, and high school on just the basics of human education. Why would we expect both us and our horses to “know it all” within a short 30, 60, or 90 day period? The famous “X” days of training, starting a horse, etc. always make me smile. The equine partnership journey is a continual, ongoing process and journey, not just the end result.
I truly believe more students would enjoy the “process” of educating themselves and their horses if they understand what, how, and why they were doing what they were doing. But too many times they have become “handicapped” for relying (literally) on the instructor for every part of the ride and have lost all ability to think their way through a ride.
So the next time you are about to take a lesson, audit a clinic, read an article in a magazine or watch a “quick fix” DVD on horse training, take a moment to really assess the quality of the information being provided. Is it clear? Is it appropriate for where you and your horse are at in your learning process? Did you both come away with a warm “fuzzy feeling” after the experience or was there a “blank” feeling of “never going to get it?”
Even if you don’t have years of experience with horses, trust your gut. Take care of you and your horse- he’s relying on you to make the best decisions for the BOTH of you! It’s okay to try different instructors, ideas, or philosophies to experiment with. Your top priority is to do what is best for you and your horse, even if it means stepping away from that “world-class trainer” or proven Olympian- trust me, I’ve been there, I’ve done it, and my horses are better for having had the ability to say “no.”